Wally West has been hurting through time, inhabiting the bodies of speedsters of different eras. The Speed Force seems to have chosen him to heal itself, preventing catastrophes throughout the timeline. Now, after leaving Bart Allen’s life in the future, Wally is thrown into the body and life of none other than the first Flash, Jay Garrick! What is he there to do? And, can he figure it out in time to prevent a hemispheric-shattering event? Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Jay Garrick and Langford “Happy” Terrill (aka the Golden Age Ray) have been called by President Franklin Roosevelt to capture the Spear of Destiny and end World War II. Terrill is the original Ray from the Golden Age, having first appeared in SMASH COMICS #25 in 1940 (he joined the DCU when DC bought Quality Comics). This mission goes south quickly. They run into Otto Frentz, aka Parsifal, who can negate anyone’s powers.  Garrick and Terrill are captured, beaten, and then brought along with the Spear of Destiny to meet none other than Hitler himself!

Just when things look bleakest, Wally is transformed into Jay, bringing along his connection to the Speed Force. They escape and don German uniforms to get them closer to Hitler. Just one problem – he has the Spear of Destiny and uses it to control their conscious minds.

Their conscious minds. That’s the key.

When the Spear froze Wally in place, Jay’s consciousness took over for a moment. Jay slugs Hitler, allowing the Ray to be freed and grab the Spear. That’s perfect timing, because the Speed Force blast is about to happen, and the Spear is the one thing that can siphon off that energy. The world is safe from that blast, and from Hitler being able to use the Spear of Destiny himself.

Wally leaves Jay’s body to enter…

…

…

The Legion of Doom!

Yes, Wally is now in the universe of the Super Friends! But, he’s in the body of that universe’s Reverse Flash! That’s where we leave it for now.

NOTES:

• This was a wonderful issue in so many ways. I’m a long time Jay Garrick fan (I bought the crossover issues back in the 1960s when I was a kid), and seeing him here was wonderful, even if he was possessed by Wally for much of the issue. We do get enough of Jay himself to make this fun. Having the real Jay punch Hitler was a nod of respect to the character, and that was great to see.
• Bringing in the Golden Age Ray was a great move by writer Jeremy Adams. It’s a minor retcon, as Quality Comics (the publisher of The Ray’s exploits) was not purchased by DC until Quality went under in 1956. But, this was a most welcome move,  I loved seeing the original Ray showing up in this issue, and the character was used exceptionally well.
• On that note, I’m not certain but that this is the first actual appearance of Otto Frentz, aka Parsifal. He has been mentioned before in other stories, but I’m not sure he actually appeared in panel until now. Jeremy Adams has definitely done his homework all the way around for this story, and it shows in the quality of the script.
• I loved the banter between Wally in the past and Barry/Michael/Ollie in this issue. Wally doesn’t explain this to Happy Terrill, who is left mystified at Wally/Jay’s “talking to himself”.
• The artwork was fantastic throughout. I read the digital version and blew it up on a 43 inch screen, and it held up perfectly. Kudos to Jack Herbert, Brandon Peterson, Kevin MaGuire, Michael Atiyeh, and Steve Wands.
• I did appreciate the different symbol used for the German army (and not that symbol). Speaking of the artwork, however…
• …that last page was SO on point to the Super Friends era! I was completely blown away. Well done!

SUMMARY:

This is possibly the most fun issue I’ve seen so far in Jeremy Adam’s run on the title. It’s a quality script (no pun intended) with some outstanding artwork. This is my first 10/10 for the new era, and I believe it’s well deserved. Of course, that’s my opinion – what do YOU think? Leave your comments below!

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